1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



533 



the new vehicle, and some of the "penal- 

 ties" seemed to stand out more prominent- 

 ly then than they do now. The steering'- 

 lever worried me not a little. I would steer 

 too much, with the result that the carriaj^e 

 would swa}' right and left. Now the steer- 

 ing is automatic, just as it is in the case of 

 the bicj'cle. All the sensation is that the 

 vehicle keeps the road, without any worry 

 or strain on my mental gear. Another 

 thing that bothered me was the control of 

 the power. Sometimes the engine would 

 get to "racing;" then it would hum like a 

 thrashing-machine, and the carriage would 

 go pounding over the roads with fearful 

 jolts every now and then. Now the ques- 

 tion of engine control is likewise automatic. 

 When I desire to stop suddenly, the machine 

 slows down rapidl}*, without any mental 

 calculation on mj^ part. At first I would 

 get "rattled." I did the wrong thing at 

 the wrong time. 



Yesterday I had the pleasure of riding 

 after mj' father's driving, in a brand-new 

 machine, the Olds. It was somewhat amus- 

 ing to see him go through the same awk- 

 ward moves I did, of steering too much, of 

 giving the engine too much speed, of doing 

 the wrong thing at the wrong time. But it 

 was not long before he made himself a part 

 of the machine in that it would respond to 

 his every wish. 



The penalties are fast disappearing; and 

 the pleasures — well, I do not know of any 

 more glorious fun for me. Sometimes I ride 

 awaj' up into the night; and the thought 

 that there is no horse to tire, and that it is 

 simply a question of consumption of gaso- 

 line at the rate of half a cent a mile, and a 

 little lubricating oil, is comforting indeed. 

 On a hot day there is no tired, sweaty horse 

 to call out one's sj^mpathy. A mere press- 

 ure of the button gives absolute control of 

 the speed and power, and one feels himself 

 flying on the wings of the wind. Come 

 again, Bro. H., and we will try to give you 

 a better taste of the real pleasure. 



TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING; LAYING OUT 

 HIV^ES IN SYMMETRICAL ROWS SOME- 

 TIMES A MISTAKE. 



It is a mistake to have a queen-rearing 

 yard laid out in straight rows, and have all 

 the grass and weeds cut out. Hives should 

 be located in groups of one, two, three, four, 

 and five. Do not have any two groups of 

 the same size and appearance near each 

 other. If there is a group of five hives 

 here, make the next group of two; another 

 group of four. Make each group different 

 from the adjoining one, and, if possible, put 

 near some distinguishing object like a tree 

 or a bush. One group can have a large 

 tree, and another a small one. If tall weeds 

 grow up near the entrance, all the better. 

 While they obstruct the flight slightly, they 

 help young queens in identifying their en- 

 trances. And, by the way, we made a 

 mistake in Cuba in cutting away all the 

 grass in front of the hives, and in putting 

 them in neat straight rows. The native 



Cuban bee-keeper lets the grass grow. His 

 hives are laid out very irregularly, with 

 the result there is much less robbing than 

 there would be if they were all laid out 

 with perfect regularity in rows, and en- 

 trances pointing in one direction. In an 

 apiary of the last-mentioned kind, it is no 

 wonder the bees become confused, and that 

 robbers get a good start before the inmates 

 of the hive realize what is going on. 



There is another point: It takes a great 

 deal of time to keep the grass and weeds 

 down. If I were running for honey and 

 money only I would keep the entrances, the 

 paths, and roadways clear, and that is all. 



You will ask why 3'ou would not find 

 that condition of things at our home yard 

 here in Medina. Simply because it would 

 offend some of our visitor friends. They 

 expect to see something like a park. But 

 take a trip up to the Harrington yard, and 

 you will find things as they are in Cuba. 



THE HANDIEST BEE-BRUSH. 



Dr. Miller is quoted by the Review as 

 saying there is nothing better for brushing 

 bees than some growing plant, like aspar- 

 agus, sweet clover, goldenrod, or aster. 

 That is the kind of brush I use — not be- 

 cause it is better but because it is so j^et- 

 at-able. I reach down to the nearest bunch 

 of weeds or grass, and grab up a good 

 handful — enough to make a good stiong 

 sweep. When I am through with it I sim- 

 ply throw it away. But where there is 

 shaking and brushing all day, as dui ing 

 extracting, a special brush for the purpose 

 — one that can be swashed in water — is 

 better than a scraggly mass of weeds. 



In a recent issue of Gleanings I referred 

 to the fact that Mr. Hutchinson was foul- 

 brood inspector for Michigan, and that he 

 was doing a good deal of his editorial work 

 on the cars. Some of his later items are 

 particularly meaty. Here it a sample: 



A lining of damp paper put into a vessel into which 

 melted wax is to be poured will keep the wax from 

 coming in contact with the vessel, hence there will be 

 no dish to clean up afterward. Strange as it may 

 seem, the paper will also peel off readily from the 

 cake of wax. Neither will the cake crack while cool- 

 ing, as it is not stuck to the walls of the di.sh. Mr. H. 

 R. Miller, of Kultou, Mo., wrote me about this. 



General Manager France is having 

 his hands full. In eight difterent places 

 in the United States bees have been declar- 

 ed to be a nuisance. Mr. France is looking 

 after all cases, and showering in doses of 

 truth and fact. There is one case of adul- 

 teration at Denver that is receiving his 

 attention. 



Mr. H. H. Hyde and Miss Lizzie E. 

 Adams, of P^loresville, Texas, are to be mar- 

 ried on the 18th of this month. Mr. Hyde is 

 one of our occasional contributors; and al- 

 though a comparatively young man he 

 usually has something valuable to offer. 

 Gleanings extends its congratulations to 

 the young people. 



